0:02

The Panthers have a mascot, Sir Perr. But

0:05

did you know we also have an ambassador.

0:07

John Coleman has been flashing his signature

0:10

smile at the West Entrance at Bank of America's

0:12

Stadium from the very beginning. And listen

0:15

when and now, I mean that was my face

0:17

experience of learning to work with people's

0:19

and becoming a people's person. Today,

0:21

it's our pleasure to introduce you to

0:23

the Panthers team Ambassador John

0:26

Coleman twenty five

0:28

seasons of Panthers football, a

0:30

celebration of the players, coaches, and

0:33

other people who have contributed to the organizational

0:36

success. No to mc

0:38

nixon. Not only does our

0:40

guest on the podcast today, John Coleman,

0:42

have the nicest in the biggest office

0:45

here at Bank of America's Stadium, but he's

0:47

earned it legendary figure,

0:49

face of the Carolina Panthers, official

0:51

greeter and all around legend.

0:54

John Coleman, How are you, Mr Coleman? Thanks for being

0:56

our guest today. I'm fine, thank you,

0:58

and honored to be here with future too. So

1:01

when people come into the West entrance, you're

1:03

the face that they see. Your jersey has been

1:05

retired. It's there on the wall right beside of

1:07

you. How did you come to work

1:09

for the Carolina Panthers. I had just

1:11

retired from probation parole. Uh

1:14

that was the latter part of the nine had been

1:17

seventeen years of approbation officer and

1:20

altogether was twenty one years with the state

1:22

State of South Carolina. And

1:25

uh I retired. And uh,

1:27

gentleman by the name of Marty West, he's

1:30

with the Chief Department. So he had retired

1:32

in the FOMA Security Agent and

1:35

they was doing part time

1:37

work with the Carolina Panthers.

1:39

Uh. Uh the Pounds that

1:42

had their training camp going

1:44

on in Spidingborok, South Carolina. So, and

1:47

he's doing some subcontract and work with him.

1:49

So he asked me, did I want anything to do? I said

1:52

sure, he's delighted too, And

1:54

so we started part time. All that at went

1:57

of College and the headquarters

1:59

that that time was down in the basement. They

2:02

were still working on on the stadium

2:04

here. They completed it in nineties.

2:08

And so I got to meet President

2:10

mccorma Bill Polin, that would

2:12

be President McCormack, very nice man.

2:14

He was the president and former

2:16

football player Bill poland general

2:19

manager who had been a gentleman for the

2:21

Buffalo Bill for a while for a

2:23

long period of time, and I

2:26

got to meet them, and uh they was

2:28

traveling to Clemson doing that for his year, and

2:31

so they was going on to Clempson and Clemson

2:33

was working on and

2:36

it was a terrible time getting down there, and

2:38

they were playing all their home games there and

2:41

uh uh

2:43

at that time also Wesley

2:46

Walls and I got to see Westley Walls coming

2:49

from San Francisco. I got

2:51

to see a Steve Burlin coming from Jacksonville,

2:54

and uh first draft chords

2:57

including Carrie Collins, and

2:59

so it was it was the fun time back in there.

3:02

And uh uh from

3:04

that point on to we

3:07

came here to the stadium

3:09

at doing that open period during that for

3:12

his year, and uh,

3:14

I was just I was hired full time by Jean

3:16

Brown. Jean Brown used to be with Mr

3:19

Richard during the Star Flag days when he owned all

3:21

those restaurants, the Quinches, the Dentist

3:24

and the hardest and all those big

3:26

franchise. At a matter of fact,

3:28

he's Mr Richen with the fortune five hundred

3:30

on Wall Street, and I thank

3:32

you sold most of those restaurants, restaurants

3:35

who by the team, and

3:37

so Jean was the point man for

3:39

all things in security that

3:41

goes wrong. So Jeans just flew from one

3:43

part of the country to other. And so Jean

3:46

Brown retired from there and became UH

3:49

director of security for the Calina Panthers.

3:52

And so Jean Brown hired me full time,

3:55

and he eliminated Marty West

3:57

and all his security staff

4:00

and he had myself and he had another

4:02

gentleman from who's with your chest to

4:04

count of chief department and

4:07

h then he had some more policemen

4:09

that he felt comfortable with the form his

4:11

security company. Doing that for

4:14

a year and so that

4:16

for a share, uh, we

4:19

got to see U. Now I think

4:21

we we had a putty good year that for this year,

4:23

but I don't know she had a second year.

4:26

But we played Green Bay for the championship

4:29

and during that for this year. Also

4:31

if you notice out there, you see those guardhouses

4:33

out there, those godhouses

4:36

with wooden house it for a whole year

4:39

and you had to have a drop card from the

4:41

from the guardhouse into the stadium

4:43

to get heat during the one of time. So

4:46

that was the extraordinary period because you

4:49

watched a new stadium with old

4:51

guard how old wooden guardhouse for

4:53

drop card running into the stadium. That

4:56

guy there to keep you warm in one of time, You've

4:59

seen a lot I seen. I watched

5:01

that transition the second year the

5:03

Panthers had had, the year

5:05

that you refer to, and tons of excitement

5:08

around here. Mr Coleman, you're known

5:10

for uh an effervescent

5:12

personality. You have this way

5:15

of making people feel warmly towards you

5:17

and towards the Panthers. People generally fall into

5:19

two categories, those who love you and

5:21

those who have not met you yet. From

5:23

where in your background does this come?

5:26

Well? I think it's my upbringing by

5:28

my grandmother, and also

5:32

I went into military and getting

5:34

off. I grew up on the phone and

5:36

one way to get away from the farm was

5:39

to get away from downhill with who are

5:41

the phone? Well? I didn't want to wake in the textile

5:44

meal. A matter of fact, my whole

5:46

senior class left within thirty years

5:48

thirty days of that year that we graduated

5:50

in eighteen six, the entire senior

5:53

class, because during that period of

5:55

time it wasn't only integration

5:57

and we wanted to go to nos Well

6:00

we could have a better life doing my loot.

6:03

Kane generation and we went

6:05

in all and some of them stayed thirty years,

6:07

forty years, fifty years. I had just

6:09

recently had a school reunion. We came

6:11

back with ha. Now we have school reunion

6:13

every two years instead every five

6:16

or ten years. And so during

6:19

that period of time, I left and went and all. And

6:22

that's my mom and dad separated when I

6:24

was too so my grandparents raised me. So

6:26

I stayed up there, but I

6:28

think it was two years. Then I went into and stayed

6:31

ten and so I went

6:33

in and listened, went in the army. That was

6:35

during the Vietnam campaign. And

6:38

at that time I went into the medical

6:40

Corps. The doctor always

6:43

told us that we didn't have a problem. The patient

6:45

has the problem. You can go out and get drunk

6:47

in to all the different things, you're gonna be held

6:49

accountable. So you learned

6:51

to love people's and work with people's That

6:54

was my voice experience of learning

6:57

to work with people's and becoming

6:59

a people's person. My

7:01

second experience when I got out and I went to

7:03

junior college and I went to Winthrop College

7:06

major and in criminal justice, sociology,

7:08

and social work. While I

7:10

became a probation officer working

7:12

with people's again, So I had to

7:14

be a people's plays people do you

7:17

know, if you dealing with clients, they got all kind of problems

7:20

And so I'm a people placing game.

7:22

But it was part of my makeup.

7:24

There's a part of my being at that time. And

7:27

then uh after that, after I retired

7:29

from that, I came here and

7:32

uh, here's just a natural thing. Is

7:34

it true that people have been fired around

7:36

here? By the way, we're talking to the legendary John

7:38

Coleman, he's been out front and a huge

7:41

part of the Panthers organization ever since before

7:43

day one? Is it true that people

7:45

have been fired around here for not

7:48

being as nice to you as

7:50

ownership thought they should be. I've

7:53

heard that. I haven't actually seen

7:55

it, but I've heard that. I

8:00

don't know what I should elaborated there, Go

8:04

ahead and we'll be the judgment whether that gets

8:06

on the podcast. Yeah, well,

8:09

I've heard some people's didn't

8:13

especially doing Mr richardson Rain if

8:15

he didn't think I was treated nice and h

8:17

you take care of it. If he heard

8:19

about it and he had some religity

8:22

that that it was actually facts. That

8:24

speaks well of of

8:27

the currency in which you trade around

8:29

here. Mr Coleman, You're obviously

8:31

a huge part of the history the

8:34

legacy of the brand

8:36

of the Carolina Panthers. Do you feel like the Panthers

8:39

are a big part of who you have become?

8:42

Yes, Yes, because so uh

8:47

I consider the growth, Uh,

8:50

the way they treat people's and

8:54

they always pulled out the welcome wagon when

8:57

I was in the the wholy

8:59

extended time I've been at the

9:01

West Center. Uh.

9:03

Mr Richardson always wanted me to treat

9:05

people like I wanted to be treat

9:08

it. And so I

9:11

went above beyond the call of duty to

9:14

treat people with utmost respect. And

9:17

I've received that since I've been

9:19

here, and uh,

9:22

I've seen way that the Carolina Pounther as

9:24

an organization try to do the same thing,

9:27

try to do it the right way. Two last

9:29

questions for John Coleman on the podcast.

9:31

How how are you getting on with our new owner,

9:34

Mr David Tepper? So far? Great? Great.

9:37

As soon as Mr Tepper came in, he seen

9:39

me and he had his entrerode

9:42

with him, he said, Uh, that's

9:44

who, That's what I'm here to see. I'm here to see

9:46

that man right there. And

9:49

he came in and while nothing.

9:51

Actually, they looked at each other. They didn't know what he's talking

9:53

about. And so he

9:56

came in and greeted me and so forth and on,

9:59

and as he got to leave, he wants to know that

10:01

I have any business card. I

10:03

said, no, I don't have any business card. And step

10:06

and uh, one of his top

10:08

aides said, Mr Cowen, he's talking about business

10:11

card. That's the kind of cause he's talking about. He

10:14

said, will I tell you what if

10:16

I get this team, and when I get this team, I'm

10:18

gonna make sure you've got some business cards. And

10:21

so he lived up to it's

10:24

worried and he came in. He made

10:26

me the ambassador team and gave me some business

10:28

card and had him printed up and so forth and on

10:31

and u uh he always

10:33

greets me when you come in and spends time with me.

10:37

Uh. He's he's a people's face. And also,

10:39

how does that make you feel to have a business card

10:41

this team ambassador on? Well, that's

10:44

a great feeling. Yeah, it's a great feeling because

10:47

it makes me feel

10:49

that out along you do you made

10:51

people, You make people feel like they belong, so

10:53

you know you must last thing for a John Coleman

10:56

is honored to talk to you. How

10:58

many birthdays you had? Seven and six?

11:00

I was seven, I was born all into seven three

11:03

and I'm saving the six years old. How much longer

11:05

can we plan on you being out at

11:08

that at that West Entrance, brightening everyone's

11:10

day. Well, I need to know this because

11:12

when you go, I'm going well,

11:15

I told Mr Tepper. He asked me that

11:17

question also, and so I told Mr

11:20

Tepper, I said, Mr Tepper, I plan on. I've

11:22

told my supervisor and

11:25

the ones that's responsible that

11:28

I plan on going through. I

11:32

say, unless I can wait two

11:34

days a week, I think my wife could deal with that.

11:37

And uh, because the Newton headquarters

11:39

going to be in Rocky So where you live, where

11:42

you lived down there with Pooky number

11:44

one right, yes, yes, she calls you boom,

11:49

that's right. Yes,

11:52

So, uh, you know

11:54

that was on a Thursday. He was leaving. He said,

11:56

well, anything could be possible to schod anything

11:59

possibly, anything possible so that money. He came

12:01

back here he said, Ms Coleban I discussed

12:03

this and I thought it over. We can. He came

12:06

in with Mark Haughts and he said,

12:08

yeah, it's gonna We're definitely gonna need you in rock Kyos.

12:10

You can you definitely can put that down on those

12:12

two days. And also he said, at the same time

12:15

he said, mus Coleman, he said, well something

12:17

else. He said, now you we're

12:19

not gonna let you off that even he said,

12:22

now if you die in that chair, we're gonna proper

12:24

you a break here. Oh

12:27

man, you never

12:29

know. So I found

12:31

him very pleasant to work with. That

12:34

is fantastic. Well, this is the only man, John

12:36

Coleman, who's shrewdly and successfully

12:38

negotiated with the Panthers David

12:40

Tepper and got exactly what he wanted

12:43

out of the deal. Thanks for being on the show, and

12:45

thanks for all the joy you bring to people's

12:47

lives around here. J C. My pleasy. Thank

12:49

you. We'll

12:53

continue our historical perspective of

12:55

the first quarter century of Panther football next

12:57

time right here on the podcast four

13:00

Foo